Ideas on submersible portable radios

[cduda]

Hello.

Currently looking into a submersible portable radio for fire department water rescue/boat operations type of uses.

Anyone have any suggestions for a lower cost unit that can withstand water better than the HT1250?

Thanks

[tvsjr]

Hello.

Currently looking into a submersible portable radio for fire department water rescue/boat operations type of uses.

Anyone have any suggestions for a lower cost unit that can withstand water better than the HT1250?

Thanks

Better than a 1250? Pretty much anything. Your best bet is probably going to be an XTS2500i.

[escomm]

The EX560XLS is submersible to 1 meters for 30 minutes

so says motorola

[pdblues]

Agree. Our 1250's in the FD I belong to have given nothing but problems during just rainfall. I'd hate to see one actually "go for a swim"... We routinely go through speaker mic's like they are consumables.

[john9912]

Icom F50(VHF) / F60(UHF) & F70(VHF) / F80(UHF) are water resistant models.
I would take a look at these also.
Here is a link to the brochures.

http://www.icomamerica.com/en/downloads ... cument=210
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/downloads ... cument=214

John L

[john9912]

Agree. Our 1250's in the FD I belong to have given nothing but problems during just rainfall. I'd hate to see one actually "go for a swim"... We routinely go through speaker mic's like they are consumables.

speaker mics are not consumables? I have had very good success with "Otto Communications" brand of speaker mics on local FD's. Otto has a few different models that have good water resistance ratings, I think Genesis & Evolution H2O. They get sprayed with hose and still work. I don't think we have had a single one fail yet.

[lm2032]

If you want something other than Moto, check out the Vertex VX-820 or VX-920. I've used several Vertex HTs in wet environments and they are pretty rugged.

My experience is that Motorola holds up and performs the best, and therefore is my preference. Vertex is considerably better than Icom.

Sound quality is better on Moto gear as well. +1 on Tvsjr's recommendation of the XTS2500i.

If you're after used gear, there's always the saber series...great radio, just outdated.

[tvsjr]

If you're after used gear, there's always the saber series...great radio, just outdated.

He's looking for something truly submersible. Don't think for a second that a used submersible (or Factory Mutual-certified, for that matter) radio still holds its certification... I highly doubt if the majority of the submersible Sabers out there would still pass the test, either.

The procedure for a radio that's truly going to be submerged and is mission critical is very similar to the procedure for an intrinsically-safe radio:
Buy the radio new with any necessary options to make the radio submersible/intrinsically-safe.
Ensure any accessories attached to the radio when used in a possible submersion/explosive environment meet the same specifications.
Have preventative maintenance performed on the radio on the manufacturer's recommended schedule (often yearly) to ensure the radio still holds its ratings.
Have all repairs done at a shop approved to work on submersible/Factory Mutual radios (best bet is the Moto depot).
Keep a paper trail of every time anyone works on the radio.
If the radio is opened by anyone, assume all ratings are null and void until such time as the radio has been inspected by a proper shop and recertified.

And yes, this does get expensive. It's the only way to make sure you still meet the specs. At least, for a submersible radio, you simply drown it and the radio's out of service. For an FM radio, don't do everything right, and you might get the experience of blowing something up - leading to hefty lawsuits, if you survive!

[N4KVE]

I know this won't answer your question, but a funny thing happened at the Orlando Hamfest. A friend just bought a new Yaesu VX-8 & matching speaker mike. The mike was plugged in & the radio turned on & the owner threw it in the ice chest which was full of ice cold water & shook it around. After 10 seconds he pulled it out. Another friend said "do it again while I get my camera" so he did it a 2nd time, & shook it around for at least 15 seconds while on. No problem. Maybe Vertex Yaesu makes a commercial radio that is similar & would fit your needs. GARY N4KVE

[MTS2000des]

The Icom F70 (VHF) and F80 (UHF) are IPX-7 submersion rated standard from the factory. They are available analog only, analog with upgrade to P25, or P25 from the factory. They also support DES an AES encryption, MDC, Quick-Call and have up to 256 channels. They also come with a balls battery that lasts a full 12 hour+ shift and are quality radios.

[citylink_uk]

It might be a bit of an unknown here and I'm not sure what outlets they have in the USA, but here in the UK we use Entel HT700 radios which are fully submersible IP68 rating. They are also available in five bands from 30Mhz through to 530Mhz.

The UK fire services have ordered over 15,000 of these after extensive trials.

.wmv video of fire service water jet test:

www.entel.co.uk/videos/fireman_spray.wmv

[Karfield]

Keeping it short here

Keeping it the big M.
XTS series sub radios or the Mototurbo series sub radios. We've run a few water tests on the turbo's and they've done quite well. Better than expected really.
Also, the XTSi series radios have a really nice guarantee that goes along with the i standard.

[escomm]

Seconding TRBO.... they went through the same submersibility testing as the XTS line

Seemed the hot ticket at IWCE this year was to drop radios into a tub of water and show everyone they kept working